The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Anxiety Disorders. A Systematic Meta-Review
A. Fumero, W. Peñate, Cristián Oyanadel, Bárbara Porter
European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education July 14, 2020 DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe10030052 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) show a moderate effect in improving anxiety symptoms, comparable to established therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy. When well-developed MBI protocols are applied, the effect size is large. However, more refined clinical trials are needed to clarify the conditions under which MBIs are most effective, including specific protocols, samples, and psychological mechanisms. New outcome measures, such as acceptance, self-awareness, and well-being, are also needed to assess the incremental value of MBIs beyond symptom reduction.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based interventions |
| Keywords | Psychology Medicine |
| Key finding | Mindfulness-based interventions have a moderate effect size in improving anxiety symptoms, similar to cognitive behavioral therapies, and a large effect size when well-developed protocols are applied. |
Abstract
Objective: There has been a growing interest in the study of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). Many clinical trials and experimental designs have been implemented, with different samples and diverse MBI procedures. Reviews have shown unclear results, apart from a tendency to identify low-to-moderate effectiveness. The purpose of this review is to examine the effectiveness of MBIs on anxiety complaints, analyzing available systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Method: The literature search was done in MEDLINE (PubMed) and PsycINFO, from the first available review in 2003 until March 2020. From 82 initial references, 12 reviews were selected. Results: Reviews confirmed a moderate effect size of MBIs in improving anxiety symptoms. This efficacy was similar to that of well-established therapies for reducing anxiety symptoms, such as cognitive behavioral therapies. A large effect size was found when well-developed MBI protocols were applied. Discussion: More refined clinical trials are needed to establish clear conditions of MBI effectiveness (protocols, samples, psychological mechanisms, etc.). In addition, considering mindfulness processes, new outcome measures are needed (such as acceptance, self-awareness, or well-being) to test the incremental value of MBIs.